This story was first reported on and published by Glossy sibling site Modern Retail.
Cyntia Leo, head of brand marketing and communications for Urban Outfitters, thinks that one of the biggest myths about Gen Z is that they don’t have a long attention span.
Actually, Leo argues, it just takes more to earn their attention because they’ve grown up digitally and have been inundated with even more social content than millennials.
“They’re so digitally native, you actually have to earn their attention span beyond seven seconds,” Leo said. “When we thought about that, it really shifted our mindset. We were like, ‘What are the right ways to really earn this customer’s mindset and mind share?'”
For Urban Outfitters, the answer has been to co-create more campaigns with its Gen-Z consumers, so they feel they are really participating in a two-way conversation with the brand, rather than simply producing campaigns for them. That was the subject of Leo’s conversation with Modern Retail editor-in-chief Jill Manoff at the Modern Retail Marketing Summit, held last week in Huntington Beach, California.
Leo likes to say that Urban Outfitters is about a customer who is “coming of age.” It wants to be there for young consumers’ big life moments — when they are graduating from high school or getting ready to start their first full-time job.
In turn, having a presence on college campuses is critical for Urban Outfitters. Leo said that the company’s in-depth research with college students revealed that “participation is the best way to connect with them.”
“Any brand can go in and can do a stadium buy, and can do an out-of-home buy, and can really plaster their name across everything. But for us, reach without resonance and without resonating isn’t going to create brand loyalty,” Leo said. “You drive all the awareness you want, but if you’re not truly relevant in an authentic way, then these people… are not going to care.”
Co-creating authentic campaigns with Gen Z first starts with identifying the right “movers and shakers” on a particular college campus, according to Leo. “Whether it’s athletes, the sororities, the fraternities, the fashion club leads — all of these different groups that are really creating and galvanizing campus culture” are the types of groups that Urban Outfitters wants to partner with, she said.
There’s also a focus on little touches that can demonstrate how Urban Outfitters truly understands campus culture. In 2025, as part of its “Good Game” campaign, Urban Outfitters hosted Thursday night parties and concerts at select colleges like the University of Tennessee, University of Arizona and Colorado University. Since many of these college students are getting up earlier on Saturday morning for tailgates, Urban Outfitters figured that hosting an event on Thursday night, instead of Friday, would be a better way to celebrate game-day culture.
Experiential elements, in general, are becoming a bigger focus. Last year, Urban Outfitters’ back-to-school campaign, dubbed “UO Haul,” kicked off with a scavenger hunt, where winners were invited the next day to a private event featuring a musical performance by girl group Katseye, as well as a first look at Urban Outfitters’ back-to-school collection. Urban Outfitters also teamed up with UHaul on a contest where the winners would receive $1,000 worth of Urban Outfitters’ products and a door-to-door move-in service provided by UHaul. Lastly, Urban Outfitters hosted a Campus Essentials pop-up experience in 20 stores located in key college markets.
It all speaks to Urban Outfitters’ current approach to Gen Z: showing up in person in multiple ways during key moments like back-to-school. All of these experiential elements, of course, are critical in creating a steady pipeline of UGC.
When judging the success of campaigns like UO Haul, Leo said that Urban Outfitters does look at impressions, but it also considers metrics that indicate participation.
“How many people can we get to participate in whatever we are doing?” Leo said. “Are people talking about our brand? Are people excited to be part of our brand, so much so that they’re picking up their phone, and then they’re doing a post, or thanking us for participating in some way?”
It’s a principle that guides Urban Outfitters other campaigns and investments. Whether it’s launching a new celebrity campaign (the brand’s latest partner is Zara Larsson) or hosting a brand trip to Joshua Tree for nano influencers, the focus is on demonstrating, in multiple ways, that Urban Outfitters truly understands its core customers.
“I always say, ‘Customers are easy, because they actually tell you exactly what they want and what they need,’ right?” she said. “Follow where they’re going, and you have to be a bit reactive and flexible to really meet them where they are.”
